Australian Junior Championships Day 3: Isaac Beacroft strides to another Australian record

Published Sun 16 Apr 2023

15 April 2023

Australian Junior Championships Day 3: Isaac Beacroft strides to another Australian record

Day three was simply extraordinary for NSW at the Chemist Warehouse Australian Junior Championships being held in Brisbane this week. Australian records were broken, 5-year undefeated records were maintained and there were breakthrough performances.

Isaac Beacroft – second Australian race walking record in four months

Last December at the Australian All Schools, Isaac Beacroft broke the Australian under-16 3000m walk record, which had stood for nearly 27 years. Today, aged only 16, he broke the Australian under-18 5000m walk record set 25-year-ago, by the same athlete, Troy Sundstrom, all this while Troy’s sister Jodie Sundstrom judged the race. Today Isaac sliced 15 seconds from the old record.

As he had raced the longer 5000m distance for a while, he prepared by competing against some local runners.

“I haven’t done a 5k in three and a half years or something, but I did a training walk the other day at parkrun and did 20:20 so I felt pretty good!” Isaac said who placed 15th at The Ponds parkrun.

He started conservatively tonight walking with a group of well credentialled junior international race walkers.

“I was just sitting for the first 2km,” he said. He then moved away from the lead pack, going on to win by 100m in a record time of 19:51.81. He still has 18 months to improve the record before he is too old.

His build up was not ideal.

“I have been injured, I have only really had a good four week block because I had a bit of tendonitis.”

Isaac is a very talented sports person, including winning National medal in race walking, running and being in the GWS AFL academy.

“Juggling all the running, walking and AFL, I don’t know [where I can get to]. I just have to trust the coach, Dad, he will take me to wherever I want to get to,” Isaac said.

Combining AFL, what does his training week entail?

“When everything is good; on Monday I do a walk session on the track, Tuesday I have two hours with the GWS Giants academy, Wednesday a running set, Thursday more AFL, Friday a walks session, Saturday either rest or something hard, and Sunday a long run.”

When will be the day he needs to decide between athletics and AFL?

“My theory is to be doing it all at the level that I am at now for as long as I possibly can, but if I really want to go seriously then probably another year or two,” Beacroft said.

Grace Krause jumps to 6.16m and sprints 23.67

On any other day, the performances of 15-year-old Grace Krause would have been the lead story. The Temora athlete opted to compete one age higher in an attempt to qualify for the Commonwealth Youth Games but the older competition didn’t faze Grace as she rewrote her personal bests and put herself in the box seat for Commonwealth Youth Games selection.

She started the day improving her long jump best of 5.81m, with a distance of 6.16m to place a close second to Delta Amidzovski’s 6.21m in the under-18 event. For both athletes, they easily exceeded the CYG standard of 6.00m.

Grace then rushed to the 200m heat where she clocked the extraordinary time of 23.67, to lead the qualifiers by half a second. In the final, Grace was inside WA’s Olivia Dodds, who is favourite for the 100m after clocked a time of 11.48 in January, but in the first 50m, Grace blew her away entering the straight clearly in the lead and going on to win in 23.96 seconds.

She explained her plan. “I thought I just wanted to get in front and make up the stagger quickly.”

It has been a slow start this year for Grace.

“The injuries set me back a bit from competing but to get back now and become National champion is amazing.”

George Wells maintains his 5-year undefeated record.

After winning the under-14 discus in 2019, George Wells has gone undefeated for five years at the Australian Junior championships, today clinching the under-18 discus with a personal best throw of 58.68m to win by a staggering 7 metres. It was also a Commonwealth Youth Games qualifier.

“I knew I had good competition with Matt Taylor, Mackenzie Leith and Logan Sandland,” George said.

He had a plan and it worked. He threw his winner on his first attempt.

“It was a really good start. That was my aim to get a good one out on my first throw and to get everyone to chase me. It worked.”

George’s journey over the five years has not been easy.

“It had been a hard slog. Last year my coach (Gerry Target) passed away I leant so much from him. I got some help from Denis Knowles a few weeks ago.”

Adelaide Pittis overcomes set back

Showing maturity beyond her years, Orange’s Adelaide Pittis overcame an incorrect disqualification by the starter to win the under-14 400m.

At the start of her race, Adelaide broke and the official told her she was disqualified, but she was quickly reinstated as the under-14 age are allowed one break.

How did the 13-year-old cope with the initial news?

“It was so tough. I was going ‘no’ ‘this can’t be happening’,” she said.

But she had recalled other athletes in her age had a second chance, so was wondering.

After she was re-instated in the event, the year 8 student gathered herself with great maturity and poise.

“I said to myself ‘I’m ready for this, I’m pushing myself. I’m going to direct all my anger”, and what a great response it wasm going on to run a 0.7 seconds personal best and win a very close race in the time of 57.30 seconds.

Wollongong’s Chelsy Wayne had to hold off strong competition to win the under-18 discus throw with a distance of 51.02m – her 11th competition over the Commonwealth Youth standard. Queensland’s Riley Jay Henry Purcell threw a competitive 50.24m in round two.

Coffs Harbour mates and occasional training partners, Jade Kitching and Daniel Williams gave it their best shot at hitting the Commonwealth Youth Games standard in the under-18 800m. Jade had twice just missed the standard two weeks ago in the under-20s, then today Daniel Williams, an under-17 athlete, joined Jade in the under-18s. In the National final today, they battled some traffic after the bell, but were unable to hit the 1:50.70 standard, with Daniel taking the title in 1:51.82, from Jade 1:52.11.

In the girls under-18 800m, Fleur Cooper ran a perfect race to win in a personal best time of 2:06.47, leading teammate Ella Penman under the Commonwealth Youth Games standard with 2:07.14. Wollongong’s Tayissa Buchanan was a third in 2:08.83.

NSW went 1 to 5 in the under-17 200m led by Annissa Quee who edged out Shari Hurdman 24.64 to 24.65. In third was Kaitlin Tattersall (25.03), from Samara Bond (25.15) and Nekea Talaia (25.26).

NSW athletes crowned Australian Champions on Day 3:

U18 200m Grace Krause 23.96 (23.67 heat)

U18 800m Fleur Cooper 2:06.47

U18 4x100m relay Annissa Quee, Summah Harrison, Jasynta Lampret, Grace Krause 46.51

U18 Long Jump Delta Amidzovski 6.21m

U18 Chelsy Wayne 51.02m

U18 Javelin Throw Tali Baltineshter 49.05m

U17 200m Annissa Quee 24.64

U17 Discus Throw Jessica Johnston 41.31m

U16 90m hurdles Tammin Lampret 12.61

U14 400m Adelaide Pittis 57.30

U14 1500m Eliza Lawton 4:30.72